PINELLAS COUNTY, FL. – A Florida man has been arrested after a drunken fight led to a series of carjackings and ultimately the man being pulled from the Gulf of Mexico by deputies on Sunday.
On March 6, 2022, at approximately 4:13 p.m., deputies responded to the Dunedin Cove Motel located at 1220 Main Street in Dunedin after a report of two men physically fighting.
Upon deputies’ arrival, it was discovered that 27-year-old Kenneth Lunford engaged in a physical altercation with a male at the motel following a drug transaction. Lunford then took the man’s car keys and fled the scene in the stolen vehicle.
A Be On (the) Look Out (BOLO) was issued for the surrounding law enforcement agencies regarding the stolen vehicle.
According to deputies, Lunford drove recklessly through Clearwater, Largo, Belleair Bluffs, Belleair Beach, and Indian Rocks Beach, fleeing from multiple Clearwater Police Officers who attempted to stop him.
Deputies say while fleeing on Gulf Boulevard, Lunford attempted to carjack another victim at a stoplight in Indian Rocks Beach, but was unsuccessful. As Lunford approached Gulf Boulevard and 4th Avenue in Indian Rocks Beach, Lunford struck two vehicles and exited the stolen vehicle.
Lunford carjacked another vehicle and continued to flee southbound on Gulf Boulevard.
Deputies say Lunford continued to drive recklessly before crashing into another vehicle in the parking lot of 11925 Gulf Boulevard in Indian Shores.
Lunford then drove east behind the building before crashing the vehicle again into a fence and partially off the seawall. Lunford fled from the vehicle on foot through the mangroves and waded into the intercostal waterway.
At approximately 4:55 p.m., Marine Unit deputies took Lunford into custody from the water and he was transported to the Pinellas County Jail. Lunford was charged by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and Clearwater Police Department with two counts of Carjacking (without weapon), one count of Carjacking (without weapon, attempted), nine counts of driving under the influence with property damage, two counts of driving under the influence with property damage (CPD charges), twelve counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage (CPD – one charge), one count robbery by sudden snatching, one count resisting an officer with violence (CPD charge), three counts of fleeing and eluding (CPD – two charges).
There were no significant injuries reported throughout this incident.
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